President Barack Obama's climate policies fall far short of what's needed to prevent serious climate change, but journalist Mark Hertsgaard says the president has made it clear what needs to be done, and that still matters a lot.

Updated

01/22/2015 - 12:30pm

Paul C. Lo and his family came to America from Laos in the 1970s as part of a huge wave of Hmong refugees — ethnic villagers pushed out of Laos by communist forces during the Vietnam War. Lo, who is now 45 years old, was recently named the first Hmong American judge in US history.

Officials in California are partnering with their Canadian neighbors in British Columbia, as well as officials in Washington and Oregon, to try and reduce their production of climate change-inducing gases. While the announcement last week was met with much fanfare, the details remain to be seen.

As immigration reform continues to percolate, some states and communities are taking measures of their own. In California, the state senate approved a bill that, if it becomes law, would prohibit local agencies from working with a specific federal immigration program.

Several Republican presidential candidates are promoting the idea of a flat tax -- a system where everybody pays the same tax rate. The idea of a flat tax isn't all that novel or original. Lots of other countries have one.

Updated

01/22/2015 - 12:30pm

Paul C. Lo and his family came to America from Laos in the 1970s as part of a huge wave of Hmong refugees — ethnic villagers pushed out of Laos by communist forces during the Vietnam War. Lo, who is now 45 years old, was recently named the first Hmong American judge in US history.

President Barack Obama's climate policies fall far short of what's needed to prevent serious climate change, but journalist Mark Hertsgaard says the president has made it clear what needs to be done, and that still matters a lot.

As immigration reform continues to percolate, some states and communities are taking measures of their own. In California, the state senate approved a bill that, if it becomes law, would prohibit local agencies from working with a specific federal immigration program.

Officials in California are partnering with their Canadian neighbors in British Columbia, as well as officials in Washington and Oregon, to try and reduce their production of climate change-inducing gases. While the announcement last week was met with much fanfare, the details remain to be seen.

Several Republican presidential candidates are promoting the idea of a flat tax -- a system where everybody pays the same tax rate. The idea of a flat tax isn't all that novel or original. Lots of other countries have one.

President Barack Obama's climate policies fall far short of what's needed to prevent serious climate change, but journalist Mark Hertsgaard says the president has made it clear what needs to be done, and that still matters a lot.

Updated

01/22/2015 - 12:30pm

Paul C. Lo and his family came to America from Laos in the 1970s as part of a huge wave of Hmong refugees — ethnic villagers pushed out of Laos by communist forces during the Vietnam War. Lo, who is now 45 years old, was recently named the first Hmong American judge in US history.

Officials in California are partnering with their Canadian neighbors in British Columbia, as well as officials in Washington and Oregon, to try and reduce their production of climate change-inducing gases. While the announcement last week was met with much fanfare, the details remain to be seen.

As immigration reform continues to percolate, some states and communities are taking measures of their own. In California, the state senate approved a bill that, if it becomes law, would prohibit local agencies from working with a specific federal immigration program.

Officials in California are partnering with their Canadian neighbors in British Columbia, as well as officials in Washington and Oregon, to try and reduce their production of climate change-inducing gases. While the announcement last week was met with much fanfare, the details remain to be seen.

Updated

01/22/2015 - 12:30pm

Paul C. Lo and his family came to America from Laos in the 1970s as part of a huge wave of Hmong refugees — ethnic villagers pushed out of Laos by communist forces during the Vietnam War. Lo, who is now 45 years old, was recently named the first Hmong American judge in US history.

President Barack Obama's climate policies fall far short of what's needed to prevent serious climate change, but journalist Mark Hertsgaard says the president has made it clear what needs to be done, and that still matters a lot.